We Were Colored Outside the Lines
by Traidy
Summary: Max knows. She Knows when each of them are taken they are not coming back. She Knows and she has given up.
1. We were Colored Outside the Lines

Max and the Gang need to go out with a bang, they are great characters, and they deserve an amazing death

Max and the Gang need to go out with a bang, they are great characters, and they deserve an amazing death. WARNING: Character Death; spoilers; dark imagery

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This was it; this was the way it was going to end. It was actually that simple. After all the years we spent fighting for our freedom, we never actually achieved anything. Here we lay, Fang and I, in these cold cages pressed onto the floor. We could barely lie on our sides. My baby, my sweet little baby had been first. They took her, took her away from me, away from us. Angel knew it was coming, and I felt her pain as my own. They said she went peacefully, but I wouldn't put it past them to experiment with our deaths.

I know, and Fang knew too. She went painfully. We heard her cry in our heads. We heard her screaming from down the hall. Did they think we were stupid, did they underestimate us? Or did they just want us to suffer for fighting against them? It wasn't fair. It was never fair. It will never be fair. It was all over, this was the end, we were torn up and separated. They were killing us off one by one so that we could feel their pain. They would save me for last. Saving the world was good and all, but I couldn't even save the flock. Some leader I was, I was supposed to protect them, but I led them to their deaths.

"_Max, don't think like that…"_

"Jeb, go away. You've had a helping hand in this too." I was so tired, my voice barely slid past my lips. Fang had tired himself out by struggling in the cage. He lay on his back with his arm out stretch through one of the bars. He lay there with his eyes closed, his breathing slow paced. Shifting on to my stomach was difficult, but I managed to do it. I lay awkwardly on my left arm, my right arm bent at my side holding on to a bar. The doors creaked as they opened and two white coats came in. the fear rose inside me. Fang didn't move though his eyes did open to slits, glaring murderously at the two men. I tried to cry out, to warn Nudge. We had all wasted our voices yelling and screaming when Angel and Gazzy went. He was so brave. He fought to the very end. We don't know what happened to him. They came in with a stretcher and placed a mask over his face. He was out within seconds. I had hoped it was that easy for him. That would be the most peace any of us would see. If he was dead, why would they pull the straps over his small form? His chest moved up and down with his breath.

Nudge was taken, my poor girl, she tried valiantly to fight off the hands, but they were too much. She screamed as they took her off, tying her down to a chair that they wheeled off down the hall. The doors closed behind them. Her screams could be heard for some minutes. Why were they harming them? They were just children. It should be me; it is my fault they have to go through what is happening.

"Jeb. What is happening to Nudge? And Gazzy?" I saw Fang twitch violently in his cage and his eyes drifted to mine. Iggy could be heard cursing under his breath.

"_You don't want to know that. This is for the best Maximum. I would help if I could but I have very little say as of now. I don't think you should be wasted. You are too perfect."_

"Screw that! What is happening to my family?!" the silence hummed on and I was sure Fang or/and Iggy thought I had cracked. Jeb sighed.

"_Gazzy is in surgery. They are taking look into his digestive system to see where they went wrong."_

Bile built in my throat, but I was too exhausted to rise to the bait. Panic etched my veins.

"And Nudge? What is going to happen to Iggy and Fang?" Again the silence pressed on. I could physically feel the tension in the room, the other two trying to hear what the voice in my head was saying. This silence was longer then the last and I began to worry more.

"_Nudge is gone. They have drilled into her skull to examine her brain functions. They want to find a way to control experiments by selectively choosing the genes that make up the brain. And Iggy. They plan on working with his eyes. They want to see if they can get the lasers into his eyes before they kill him." _There was another pause. In this time I slanted as far down as I could until I could just barely see the edge of Iggy's cage.

"I'm sorry Iggy. If I could, I would have done anything to get you guys free, I would."

"_I do not know what they have planned for you or Fang. There is nothing on file. I'm sorry Maximum, I'm sorry it had to come to this."_

It was silent in my head for a while after that. I thought of screaming out for Jeb, clinging to any last hope that I was still Maximum Ride and I could save the flock like any other day.

It has been two days, at least, since we have been visited upon. The White coats had left us here with nothing to eat or drink, we feared to sleep as we may not see one of us go. My eyes ached with for sleep, and still my heart thundered as if the white coats could walk in any minute and take Iggy.

"Max?" I was startled at the whisper from my right. Fang had his face turned upward toward the under side of the top of his cage. My cheek was still pressed to the cold surface.

"Max…I…" He was drowned out by my heart thudding in my ears as the door opened.

"Iggy…" It was a breathy whisper. Suddenly my tiredness was out the window. They were killing my family!

"Leave us alone! Why are you doing this?! Don't touch him! I swear I'll kill you! All of you!" Along with my threats I tried with out progression, to break out of my cage. I kicked and slammed my body against the bars and screamed. I was angry, how dare they do this to my family? What had we ever done? The White Coats murmured to one another. I wanted out! I wanted my family to be fine and flying away from this place. I wanted for them to be able to live like normal kids, and not have to put up with all this crap. I would give anything, my own life if need be, I would give it up gladly. I wanted to beat the living hell out of the White Coats and if there were any more Erasers, throw them in too. I was hit with the bright over head lights when the top of my cage was opened. Some one was yelling my name, I think Fang, but it could have been Iggy. I tried to force my way out. This could be it! This could be our chance! If I could get past these White Coats, I could get Iggy and Fang free, and then we could go find Gazzy and the others, even if they were…

I didn't have enough room to open my wings, and more hands were appearing, holding me down. A needle probed my neck and I tried biting at it. It pushed past the skin before I could. The serum was heavy; I could feel it in my muscles. My eyes drooped drastically, my hands stilling. I wanted to fight; I wanted to give us a chance to live. The antiseptic smell was all around me and I was nearly ill. I now fought to keep my eyes open. I was so tired.

"_Sleep Max. Save your strength…"_

I was let go. I could hear who was yelling now, it was Fang. Iggy was already gone. They had already taken him. My cage closed with a crash that pained my ear drums. Whimpering I curled back on my stomach, pressing my head into the cold metal, trying to find relief. I peeked open my eyes, looking over at Fang to tell him I was ok. He was scrunched on his side, pressed against the metal bars closest to my cage. He didn't look comfortable.

The doors hadn't closed yet; the White Coats were still here. Why? Why were they still here? Fang eyed them, and then turned back to me.

"Sleep Max. We'll get out of here. Save your strength." His dark hair fell across his face and for a moment I was remembering when we were younger and he would say the same thing.

Sleep.

Sleep sounded good right about now. NO! I had to stay awake! I couldn't let them take Fang. I wouldn't! My eyes drifted shut against my command.

I woke abruptly to face an empty cage.

Empty.

Breathing slowly, I clicked and I started to cry. They took him, and I had been sleeping! It had just been us left, the mom and dad of the Flock, and I had turned my back on him.

"Fang!" The scream hurt my throat, and the tears slipped down my face to puddle on the metal.

"Why?! Why?! Why us?! What did we do?!" My throat slowly started to close up. All I was left with was a hoarse whisper.

"Why? Why…why…" To my shock some one answered.

"It is all of your fault Maximum. It is your fault and his fault. His because he gathered support, he made others aware of us who other wise would have been oblivious. And your fault because you fought against us. You ran away time and time again and you showed people what we were doing. We could have peacefully experimented for ages if you hadn't made an uproar. It is your fault they are dead." My head spun with the drugs they had given me.

"Where is Fang? What are you doing to him?" I asked Jeb, screaming my thoughts at him as well as the person who was in the room.

"You're about to find out." Just as that was said, Fang was dragged by his arms back in to the room. He was shirtless and tiny pin pricks all the same distance apart covered his stomach, chest and collarbone. The skin around the pricks was pink and in some places drips of blood slid down his skin.

"Fang? Fang!" His eyes rolled to meet mine before they closed. They must have done something horrible to him, and they kept him alive. That meant they were going to do more to him. They dropped him in his cage and he crumpled awkwardly to the ground. He was breathing in short pants and his eyes were pinched shut. I was so wrapped up in watching his pain that I didn't realize I was out of my cage and strapped to a gurney. Another needle prodded my skin and I felt it poke in. My eyes were shut in seconds. Blackness took over my mind. I later felt a pinch and my back ached afterward. The drugs must be wearing off.

I woke back in my cage lying on my stomach. My eyes fluttered open before I closed them again, my back hurt bad. My wings must have been cramping. Flexing the muscles of my wings, I found nothing. My breath stopped in my throat and my heart stopped.

"Max…" It was quiet, and I turned my head slowly to Fang. He was pressed to the bars again, facing me. He was crushing his open torso to the cold bars.

"Fang…" I mouthed the words, but barely any sound came out.

I knew all I needed to know. The look in his yes was enough to tell me. I shifted and the bandages around my body restricted a deep breath. My back, just between my shoulder blades burned with pain. Fang had a shocked, scared and awe-struck look on his face. His dark eyes reflected the image of me and I knew.

They were gone.

My wings were gone.

All my life I had wished I never had wings, that I was just like every one else, but now that they really were gone I was faced with reality. I would never be able to fly again, I wouldn't be Max. I wouldn't be able to protect the Flock from Flyboys or Erasers.

Oh.

Wait.

I hadn't been able to do that _with _wings.

"Fang…" The tears came again. Fang stretched his arm out through on of the rungs as far as he could. Still on my stomach, I pressed my side in to the bars and reached for his hand. Our fingers barely touched. There was a commotion outside. Some yelling and bangs.

Some scientist came rushing in to the room, needles in hand. They looked scared. I bet my mother had been looking for us. Maybe, maybe Jeb had gone against what I thought of him. Maybe he did some thing good this time…

Maybe he wanted us to survive. I didn't want to. If I didn't have my wings, I didn't want to live. I begged Fang with my eyes. I begged him to understand. He gave a small nod.

"I can't live with out you. I won't live without you." He whispered and more tears came to my eyes. Some drops slipped from his. The White Coats flung open our cages. They didn't even acknowledge our lack of a fight. I felt the prick of the needle in the side of my neck and I watched Fang wince when he got the needle.

I waited.

Waited for the death. It came slowly as the White Coats injected us with the liquid. There was a loud banging on the door and a rushing of boots. The door crashed open but it didn't bother Fang and I. We just kept our eyes on each other, waiting.

"Freeze! Step away from the crate, lie on the floor and put your hands on the back of your heads." The White Coats hand shook and the last bit of the serum was forced through my veins. I whimpered. I heard mom. She was calling my name. I think she was calling Fang's too. She was lying down next to me, her face just inches from mine. I looked just over the top of her head and met Fang's fading eyes. He smiled, he looked calm. I guess I was too. I smiled back at him.

So tired.

I just wanted to sleep.

Forever.

I just wanted…to…sleep…fore…


	2. Shades of Green and Grey

We were Colored Outside the Lines Sequel

We were Colored Outside the Lines Sequel

Shades of Green and Grey

"Max, honey? I need you to stay awake…" It was in vain. The men had injected a lethal dose to both of the teenagers. They weren't going to wake up. Still, the woman pleaded with the girl. She was pulled away by an officer. The scene was quickly evacuated by all except the paramedics, who declared death on arrival, and people with cameras. All types of people. News casters and their camera men, scientist and police collecting evidence.

Flashes went off a mile a minute. The woman started to yell at the people looking on in awe and broadcasting the death of the two.

"They are people too! They are _**Human**_ too. What right do you have to broadcast something so,…so…." She broke down in tears only to be led away again.

The doors to the secluded room were shut on the faces of the onlookers. Police and scientist documented everything. They took into account the size of the crates, the amount of empty crates and the way in which the two were murdered.

"Why does it look like these cages weren't empty for long?" They looked about in awe struck horror. No one would voice the thoughts running through their heads.

What kind of sick bastard would do this to children?

One woman, new to her job shed tears. She made special care to photograph their outstretched arms and intertwined fingers. Another photo was taken. One of the entire span of the room including the cages and occupants of said cages. The other empty cages were in the picture as well.

Hundreds of more pictures were taken in the span of a few minutes.

No one wanted to break the silence, no one wanted to move, but they all knew they had to face reality.

Yes, people really did this to other people.

Yes, people really did this to children.

No, they had no compassion.

No, they didn't care who was hurt or died.

Yes, they had euthanized them, in their panic.

Yes, they probably would have died painfully had they not been euthanized.

After all reporters threatened, they leave the scene, the coroner began their real job.

The first cage was opened. It took two men to carefully pull the girl from the metal trap. It took one to carry her to the stretcher that was waiting for her. Her body folded onto it like a child that was just laid to bed by her father.

The man half expected her to open her eyes slightly, and murmur that she was still tired and did not want to get up for the day yet.

He had a daughter of his own about the same age.

They had been fighting over getting her hair dyed.

His argument was that she would be exposed to possibly harmful chemicals.

How many hazardous chemicals were these kids exposed in the name of 'research'?

A scientist in dark brown, having been called away from his bed in the early morning hours, pulling a double-shift marked off a clipboard with a survey like paper on it.

**Name:** Ride, Maximum

**Age:** Estimated 16 years

**Hair Color:** Brown/Blonde

**Eye Color:** Hazel

**Height:** Estimated 5'4

**Weight:** Estimated 94 lbs.

**Time of Death:** 4:21 AM

**Date:** October 6th

He latched the clipboard onto the side and pulled the cover up and over her serene face. It was scary.

Scary how she looked calm in the face of her death.

Scary how the face of a teenager was calm in death, was dead.

Scary how people could do this to others.

Scary how people could do this to children.

Scary how people could do this to the innocent.

It took two men to lift the boy out of the cage. It took three to carry him to the stretcher. The needle marks that covered his torso were simply chilling.

How had he with stood the pain?

Was he under sedation?

By the cruelty of these scientists, that was highly doubted.

**Name:** Fang

**Age:** Estimated 16 years

**Hair Color:** Dark Brown

**Eye Color:** Dark Brown

**Height:** Estimated 6'1

**Weight:** Estimated 104 lbs.

**Time of Death:** 4:20 AM

**Date:** October 6th

Again, he pulled the white sheet up past the boy's face. The thin sheet settled on the body showing every mountain and valley of the body.

They were wheeled out and placed in a van with about ten others.

Slamming the doors closed, every one breathed a heavy sigh. This could only get worse.

A ray of sun light hit the horizon though and through it a magnificent and some what wonder-filled gazes turned on the groups being carried and led from the warehouses.

Dozens among dozens of children, ages ranging from that of babies to adolescents.

All of them had a large deformity not normally known to children.

Fear.

Fear for their lives.

Police officer after scientist, after news station worker came out carrying a child. Some had no legs or arms, some had fur or scales. Some had eyes of a cat and whiskers; some were the size of large foxes. They were all different in their each unique way.

The man who had documented Max and Fang's statistics came out holding a little girl with pale blonde hair and white eyes. She had the delicate white wings of a moth folded around her. She clung to him and whimpered when brought into the sunlight. She was quickly removed to a dark police car.

A large rescue and recovery operation started up as an unmarked white van drove down a packed road. Only few were found dead. Only two had been euthanized.

Many of the children would have to be euthanized. It would be inhuman to let them die by starvation or such a cause brought on by the change in their DNA.

The world was at a stand still. Every person, whether young or old, woman or man, religious or a believe in science, held their breath.

How could someone turn a child into this? How could someone make a child suffer like this?

After the raid of that one warehouse, three more had been discovered, all larger in capacity then the next.

For some, the police had arrived too late. Many were dead by the time they got there. Few survivors, many tears and broken lives.

That was all that was left in the wake of these cruel scientists.

Messages clogged the server that held a single blog domain but the domain owner kept it up, updating every now and again seeing as how the blog owner would never touch it again.

People crushed into a small vigil set up at the house of Dr. Martinez. Her and her daughter both wept and cried, unable to be comforted.

Agencies upon agencies reached out to the hospitals and laboratories that were holding the genetically mutated children for one reason or another, offering up thousands of dollars to pay for costs or medical procedures, food, clothes.

One Week Later

It was time.

It was now, they were being buried.

They were being given a solider procession, each casket covered with a bright flag.

Angel's light colored casket was first. She was laid to rest with care and was settled into the dirt bed. Her gravestone would be that of an angel, head upturned to the sky, clinging to dove.

The engraving would read:

Angel

Born: Unknown

Died: October 5th 2008

Age: 8 years

"The innocent shall never be forgotten…"

Gazzy was next. His casket was simple, a pale oak.

His tombstone engraved with a lamb and

Gasman "Gazzy"

Born: Unknown

Died: October 5th 2008

Age: 10 years

"Our children change us... whether they live or not."

Breaking the ladder, Iggy was next laid to sleep. His headstone was craved with a sun. It read nearly the same.

Iggy

Born: Unknown

Died: October 6th 2008

Age: 16 years

"The dead cannot cry out for justice; it is a duty of the living to do so for them."

There was a break in the procession to allow family members and loved ones of the three to step foreword. There was only silence. Only one woman stepped forward, laying a pale flower at each of their hearts.

There was no wake. There wouldn't be a wake. The bodies were not fit to be seen.

They had been in waves of pain.

They had been tortured to the very end, but none ever gave in.

None were ever broken.

It was evident from the signs of struggle.

They fought to the end.

They fought for their lives.

They were just children.

What more could they have done?

What more could the world expect from them?

Nudge was laid next. Her casket was a peach color with a dark cover.

She too had an angel, but this angel was standing high on her toes, reaching for the sky.

Nudge

Born: Unknown

Died: October 5th 2008

Age: 12

"So long as little children are allowed to suffer, there is no true love in this world."

The four graves were next to one another.

To some, it felt like a mass burial.

There were four more graves in a parallel formation at the back of the plot. Between the two lines of graves people already mourn the bodies that lay in the crypts.

The pictures had been circling the world.

The two teenagers in the cages, hands intertwined with the other's.

It had been published in nearly every newspaper across all continents.

Dr. Martinez had made sure their final moment was set in stone.

The stone Max lay on her stomach facing the boy.

The stone Fang lay on his back, his head turned toward the girl.

Their stone arms were stretched as far as physically possible, their stone fingers barely able to grip one another.

One change.

There was one change to this picture.

She had her wings back.

She could fly as high and as far as she wanted now.

She had her wings back.

They were free.

They would no longer be hunted and tortured.

They would no longer fear for their lives.

They were free.

Two Years Later

It was a sad day. It was an anniversary if there ever was one.

But it was also a happy day. It was a day of celebration.

After two years of trying to understand all of the genetically mutated children, they were now being allowed to be adopted.

They would have families.

They would now have homes.

They would no longer fear.

They would no longer be in pain.

One man and his sixteen year old daughter left the hospital in the dead hours of the morning, before the sun had even awoken.

On the girl's hip she carried a small child who clung to her hair.

She was four years of age with pale blonde, almost white hair with pupil-less eyes. She was blind.

Her multicolored wings fluttered happily yet nervously.

She had been given a new name, Motte.

She was headed to her new home.

The man turned the television on. He and his eldest daughter were just settling down after introducing Motte to her new room and toys. She soon passed out on the bed.

The man and eldest daughter waited for the president's speech on the open adoption.

After some minutes of fumbling with microphones on behalf of the newscasters, it started.

"_My Fellow Americans,_

_My countrymen from around the world,_

_I don't know what to say. I had a speech prepared, but it doesn't seem to address the situation at hand. _

_We were a ignorant people. _

_We let children slip through the system and they suffered._

_We now have the chance to make it better for a few of them."_ He paused for a second and looked out among the cameras.

"_We have six children to thank for the rescuing of all of these other children. They risked and lost their lives at the hands of the men and women who created them._

_We owe them our gratitude and utmost thanks. _

_It is heartbreaking to me, and I assume to most, that they are not able to be present as we, the world, start a new chapter in this story._

_We are now a combined race. _

_We are all equal, in the eyes of god and in the eyes of one another._

_May we work so that another catastrophe like this doesn't not happen again._

_Now, if you would please, I'd like to hand you over to Doctor Martinez." _He stepped down and she strode up.

_Her head was held high and tears stained her face._

"_Thank you." _She turned to the crowd.

"_I'm not here to hand you a story of how we can make the world a better place. I'm here to tell you a story of six very brave kids who knew very early off that they would have to fight for their survival and that they would never be excepted into society._

_Max once said to me '__Death is the enemy. I spent 10 years of my life single-mindedly studying, practicing, fighting hand to hand in close quarters to defeat the enemy, to send him back bloodied and humble and I am not going to roll over and surrender.'_

_Don't any of you, for one minute think they were defeated. They will go on to win battles we could never dream of. They already have won battles we could never dream of. _

_They fought to make what is happening today a reality. They fought to live._

_They lost, but in the long run, they really won._

_Trust me when I say, this isn't the last we've seen of Max and the Flock." _ She left in a flurry of a lab coat and claps from the audience.

Five Years Later

A man about mid height and age with faded brown hair and pale brown eyes stood off to the back. His daughters were kneeled in front of a set of graves. He nodded at the crypts, feeling vaguely foolish for thinking that the spirits of the dead could see or hear him. The daughters returned to his side. They turned to leave, starting off up the small incline. The youngest of the daughters, a seven year-old with white eyes, hair and wings stopped as her father and sister continued on without her. The elder sister turned quickly when she did not see the girl at her side.

"Motte? Is something wrong?" The elder sister came to Motte's side. The white haired girl shook her head, stating that she thought she heard someone call her name. Taking the small girl's hand, the elder sister looked back at the graves, once more thanking the lost souls for here sister's life. Had it not been for them, she surely would have been killed in some horrid way.

A dark shadow caught her eye.

A couple dark forms hid in the shade of the trees. She smiled when she saw the brisk of wings, like shaking the feathers loose from being pulled to close to the body. One of her little sister's friends with the prettiest parrot wings did it frequently.

She smiled wider when she saw two with their hands intertwined and her heart rose.

She was met with deep dark chocolate eyes that seemed to brood over the tiniest idea and bright hazel eyes that were serious and heavy with burden.

They both looked so happy.

They all looked happy.

They all sat or stood around in a circle, relaxed, talking amongst themselves.

The hazel-eyed, brown-winged one gave a small wave.

The dark haired one with the near black wings gave curt wave.

The two smiled at each other and she had to turn away.

It seemed like such a private, intimate thing.

Like it was a smile meant only for them two.

It was time to move on.

They had.

They held no grudges against those that had lived.

Just before leaving, the twenty-one year old sneaked a look back at their stone marks to read the quote once more to give her strength.

"Courage is the mastery or Fear"


End file.
